the pros and cons of an epdm roof
can anyone shed light on the pros and cons of an epdm roof. i’ve heard it’s the gold standard, and that it can last 20 years or more. but I’ve also heard that it can be easily slashed, so it might not be the right choice on a row house (where neighbors or vandals can…
can anyone shed light on the pros and cons of an epdm roof. i’ve heard it’s the gold standard, and that it can last 20 years or more. but I’ve also heard that it can be easily slashed, so it might not be the right choice on a row house (where neighbors or vandals can meander onto your roof). any thoughts would be really appreciated!
I have used EPDM roof and ita great. whenever you feel your roof is going to damage, then you can use EPDM rubber coatings as i think no other product can match the durability of EPDM rubber. Liquid Roof and Liquid Rubber is a true EPDM rubber, Liquid EPDM rubber is easily applied, has a slow cure time and is water resistant.Liquid EPDM Rubber can be used to recoat weathered metal, sheet rubber, urethane foam, cement . Liquid EPDM is excellent for waterproofing concrete, roof desks and roof tiles, Can be applied directly to plywood and lumber. Liquid EPDM Rubber is also a very effective coating for steel especially where it is exposed to a salt environment.
check out
http://www.buyliquidroof.com/technical.html
and
http://www.epdmcoatings.com/elastomeric_coatings.html
for finding further technical information on EPDM..
Hope they help you..Best of Luck!!!
The decision to go with sbs was a bit of a struggle for us. We were favoring epdm. However after some studying and scratching around we chose sbs. One of the reasons was that we found sbs to be far more cost effective. There were other concerns that we had with epdm. All of them and more were covered by Nick from Leak Master in his comments above on this subject. Thanks for all the excellent information Nick. It reassured us that we made the rihgt choise. By the way we had Premier do our roof several years ago. But judging by all of Nicks’ knowlegable posts along with his entusiasm for roofing, he seems like the kind of guy we would want to do our roof when the time comes around again.
Of all the rubber roofing matereal on the market, EPDM has the highest volume of actual rubber in it. However it is not the best choice for a residential roof.
EPDM was originally created and intended for large warehouse roofs with a minimal amount of foot traffic and a minimal amount of cut-outs.
EPDM comes in sheets that are 10′ high X 100′ long. Unlike other roofing materials, EPDM is not adhered by glue, adhesive or tar. The reason is EPDM’s high concentration of rubber expands and contracts at a much higher rate than any adhesive glue or tar on the market. Therefore, it needs to float on the roof to prevent it from prematurely deteriorating. The glue that is used in conjunction with EPDM is only to be used on seams, cut-outs and low parapet walls. Some contractors glue all the EPDM to the roof decks, this is a great injustice to the homeowner. The reason is that the glue expands and contracts at a much lower rate than the EPDM membrane itself,
causing a conflict between the glue and the membrane and also causing a guaranteed premature deterioration of the roof system itself.
EPDM is first cut to the width of your roof. Including parapet walls. For example, if your roof measures 20’x 60′, you will have six 10×20 foot sheets of EPDM installed.
EPDM is then mechanically fastened at each 10 foot seam with a screwed down windbar and a sealing tape. The parapet walls (if any) can be glued on. All cut-outs will be sealed by glue and a special caulking adhesive. So in between each 10’x20′ sheet is a hollow non-adhered membrane with dozens of screws fastening the seams. If there is a leak (tear)on the front of an EPDM roof and the slope is going toward the back of the house, you can be in big trouble. If the tear is large enough it is possible for the water to travel underneath the whole system causing leaks in every room of the house.
Over the years, this EPDM roofing system has been nothing less than a nightmare for residential roofing when a leak occurs. And leaks could be caused by many things such as fireworks, foot traffic, cable dishes, atennas, sharp edge tools, falling branches, etc.
I’ve repaired hundreds of EPDM roofs over the decades and have a first hand experience with the extensive damage that it can and has caused. These experiences leave me to highly recommend that you stay away from EPDM roofing unless it is a large warehouse roof with a very minimal of foot traffic and a minimal amount of cut outs.
There are several other options for re-roofing with rubber. SBS Granulated Rubber being the best of them all for residential roofing. SBS rubber roofing is installed over a blanketed bed of adhesive. The adhesive alone seals every single nook and cranny on the entire roof. And when the SBS rubber is installed on top of the adhesive you will get just as many years of water proofing as you would from an EPDM roof for a much lower investment.
The other good news is that if a leak occurs in a SBS roof system it is confined to an isolated area. The reason for this is that the bed of adhesive that is under the SBS rubber prevents it from traveling to much further than the hole in the roof.
I hope that we have addressed your concerns with EPDM roofing adequately; if you have any other question, please feel free to call us.
Nick Kontzamanis
Leak Master Roofing
718-421-2000
I’ve used epdm in the past and of course they do the job until you have a problem. If there is a tear or bad seam the water gets under the membrane an can travel forever. It can be very difficulat to locate the problem area. I’d go for fully a adhered roof every time, particularly for a small area.
They are an excellent choice for low traffic roofs. Yes they can be damaged, but they are not delicate. They are like pool liners. You can install a tread surface in areas that will need to be accessed for servicing air conditioning units, etc. EPDM roofs are typically used in commercial applications, but are not a bad choice for residential use. They are usually not used due to cost considerations.
If you feel there may be unwanted guests visiting your roof and there is a risk of vandalism, then you should go with a traditional built-up roof. One thing about epdm roofing systems, they can be as slippery as an ice skating rink when wet. You can resolve the damage risk and the slippery condition by ballasting the roof with pavers or gravel. Again, there is no simple, one rule answer.
Bill G.